Man accused of attempted murder of his mother is to face alcohol theft charge

A man who is in custody at the Central Mental Hospital (CMH) on the grounds that he is unfit to enter a plea to a charge of the attempted murder of his mother is to appear in court next month after he was found fit to plead to a charge of stealing alcohol from a supermarket.

Gearoid Coughlan (31) of Ballycoughlan, Innishannon in Co Cork, was previously remanded in custody at the CMH on the grounds that he is unfit to enter a plea in relation to a charge of attempting to murder his mother in Innishannon, Co Cork last June.

Mr Coughlan faces two charges of theft of a few cans of beer and a bottle of gin from Aldi supermarket in Dunmanway on May 28 and 29 of this year. 

One week later, on June 4, he was accused of attempting to murder his mother Mary at the family home in Bandon, Co Cork.

Today at Cork Circuit Criminal Court Judge Helen Boyle directed that Mr Coughlan be assigned a second counsel following an application from the defence in the case. Judge Boyle said that it was appropriate to assign a second legal counsel for the theft charge given the “complicated” history of mental illness of the accused.

Mr Coughlan, who is represented by defence barrister Jane Hyland, is set to appear before the court in person on November 10 next. He was not required to be in the body of the court room for the call over of the list today as his case was listed for mention.

Unfit to plead

Mr Coughlan had previously been found unfit to plead to the theft charge, following the presentation of oral psychiatric evidence. However, he has now been found fit to enter a plea in relation to the alcohol theft charge.

Previously, Dr Eugene Morgan testified that Mr Coughlan appears to have “chronic schizophrenia.” 

“Unfortunately, he also takes illicit drugs including head shop drugs — he consumes quantities of drugs and then gets quite psychotic. He has responded well to medication in the past but he is extremely paranoid and has a complex delusionary pattern (about being attacked.)” 

Dr Morgan, who is a consultant psychiatrist in Cork Prison, gave this opinion to the court prior to Mr Coughlan’s admission to CMH. He outlined Mr Coughlan’s long standing history of paranoid schizophrenia and poly substance drug abuse.